“He Finds It Somewhere”: Travis Kelce’s Decline Gets Honest Take From Chiefs GM As Chiefs Prepare For Another Super Bowl Run

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Travis Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, may have put out disastrous numbers in the 2024 NFL season, but there are many who believe that the talented player will be bringing out the guns in the upcoming year. Recently, Brett Veach, general manager for the Chiefs, discussed Kelce’s performance and remarked that he certainly had plenty of hope for the tight end, especially in big games where it counts.

Kelce’s stats in the previous NFL season were among the worst of his entire career with the Chiefs. The tight end’s performance was most particularly atrocious during the Super Bowl matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in February, when the Chiefs lost with an abysmal 40-22 final score.

“The great ones know how to find it. When the games are the most important and the lights are the brightest, he finds it somewhere. There are periods throughout the season where you’re like, ‘This might be it.’ But when the games are the most important and the lights are the brightest, he finds it somewhere,” Brett Veach said to Adam Teicher from ESPN.

Travis Kelce himself admitted that his performance was not up to par in the previous NFL season and hoped to do better this year. For this, the tight end has resolved to focus only on football this offseason and has put off all big projects until later.

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) catches a pass against Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Oren Burks (42) in the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Travis Kelce’s Romance With Taylor Swift Blamed For Poor Performance

Travis Kelce’s romance with pop star Taylor Swift has been hailed by many people as the best thing to ever happen to him and the NFL. At the same time, there have been plenty who feel that the tight end’s priorities have shifted and it is his relationship with Swift that led to his poor performance in the previous NFL season.

Travis Kelce with GF Taylor Swift. Photo credits: Instagram

Former NFL head coach Eric Mangini falls in the second group as he recently cited Kelce’s romance with Swift as one of the reasons for his poor numbers last year. Mangini also highlighted that Kelce took on many projects, basically everything other than football, in the previous NFL offseason.

Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Recording artist Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) react after the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While Travis Kelce never stated that his relationship with Taylor Swift was the reason for his disappointing performance in 2024, the tight end did confess that he felt plenty of pressure because of all the attention his romance was getting. In fact, Swift was present at Super Bowl LIX where she cheered on her boyfriend, where he flunked along with the rest of the Chiefs.